On Tuesday, 3 rickshaw men from Japan, Yuji Suzuki, Ken Hirano and Keisuke Takahashi who are on a round-the-world trip, met with around 100 students from Da Nang’s Dong A University. 

The trio at the meeting

Yuji Suzuki said, “The intention of our trip is to advertise the culture and people of Japan to international friends who do not have a chance to visit Japan.  We pull in turn and only stop when we are too tired.  We often sleep on the road.  The best places to stay during the trip have been guesthouses”.

The trio started their journey last September with a rickshaw - Japan’s traditional 2-wheeled passenger cart.  They are scheduled to pull the rickshaw through around 20 countries in Asia, Africa, America and Oceania over 3 years and they will be finished before the Olympics taking place in Tokyo in 2020.

To date, the rickshaw men have already visited China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. In Viet Nam, they passed through Ha Noi, Hai Phong and some other cities and provinces in the country.

Mr Yuji recalled, “We could not find anywhere to sleep when we were on the way from Hai Phong to Ha Noi during cold weather.  Fortunately, we found a grocery shop with a friendly owner.  She allowed us to set up our tents for a night’s stay, and she gave us food and water”. 

Two students on the rickshaw

In Da Nang, the trio pulled their rickshaw around some of the city’s popular tourist attractions, including the Rong (Dragon) Bridge, the 'Nha Tho Con Ga' (Rooster Cathedral), the My Khe beach and the Museum of Cham Sculpture.  They met with Japanese language-learning students from across the city.

Mr Keisuke said that he was very impressed with the city’s healthy living environment and the friendliness of the local residents. 

The men will leave Da Nang for Nha Trang and Ho Chi Minh City, and then set off for Cambodia.

Mr Luong Minh Sam, Vice Principal of the Dong A University, said the exchange meeting with the Japanese men provided his Japanese language-learning students with a good opportunity to learn about the language and culture of Japan.  He hoped that their story would inspire the students to promote the spirit of youth in advertising the city’s beautiful image to international friends.